Welcome to WASHINGTON INTERACTIVE
A better way to teach Washington state history and geography for middle school students
The New 2022-23 Version is out now! A faster interface and even faster load times, more student articles, which now include narration, updated picture galleries, and a new student challenge.
Washington Interactive is a digital Washington state history and geography curriculum written specifically for middle school, built around the Common Core State Standards, not only in social studies, but in reading, writing, listening and speaking.
Created by Washington state teachers, this curriculum has been written around the CCSS. We've paid close attention to CCSS targets so that teachers have what they need in an easy to use format.
A new way to teach
We knew this program needed to be different than the traditional textbook. Therefore, our program contains 3 essential parts AND A FEW EXTRAS:
- Furtive: In order to hook students into history and geography, we needed an engaging story, one that has characters and situations students can make connections with. Therefore, students follow key characters as they try to solve the mysteries left by clues as it relates to history and geography. Each chapter in the book relates to the region of study. We use the student text to not only engage students, but teach them through the dialogue and situations the characters encounter. The name of the novel is called FURTIVE.
- Student Articles: The Student Articles are the core text. Think of this as your traditional textbook only digital. These dynamic web pages are written as one page articles to keep student interest. By doing this, teachers have the flexibility to use only the articles they need and schools don't have to worry about textbooks degrading over time. An added bonus to this is the ability to update pages and inserts as we modify and add to the curriculum.
- Picture Galleries: Over the years of teaching we realized that many of our students hadn't seen much of the state. A textbook can only give a student so much. Field trips are great, but there are too many areas in Washington to get to and that can get expensive, so we created Picture Galleries. The Galleries are high resolution pictures of the area of study so students get a chance to see what the area looks like. The Picture Galleries come with the curriculum so teachers have a total package: An engaging Student Text with Furtive, Student Articles, and Picture Galleries, giving students the best experience possible. And with our new version, we've added student challenges, a fun component that reinforces geography skills.
- Downloadable Content: As we continue to build on the existing curriculum, we release Downloadable Content that is an add on. Our first DLC contains additional student articles, along with the highly anticipated sequel to the student text, Furtive II.
The essential parts
Student Text: FURTIVE
STUDENT ARTICLES
Picture galleries
HEre's an example on how it works
Teaching Interactive Washington
Interactive Washington is divided into sections or regions of the state. For each region,students have Articles, the Picture Gallery, the corresponding Furtive chapters, and depending on the time of the year, a challenge. You can learn more with the Quick Start Guide.
Sample materials
WHAT YOU GET AND HOW TO USE IT
Need to see some sample material? Your first download should be our Quick Start Guide. This gives you an idea of how the program works.
Next,view a page from the Geography Section, then move to our Foundation Section. Once you're done with that, view our Cascades Picture Gallery, and lastly, try on the Prologue and Chapter 1 of the student companion novel, Furtive.
Still need more? Check out the video tutorial: HIGH DEF (1 GB) | REG DEF (400 MB)
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HOW MUCH DOES THE CURRICULUM COST?
WA Interactive is subscription based. It's $299 Per Teacher for the first year, then $39.99 per teacher each year after. You will also need student logins for the number of studens you teach. Logins are $7.50 per student and is a yearly cost.
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FAQ
Q: What's different about this program versus a regular textbook?
A: If you've read above, you have a fairly good idea that the structure of this program is different from your traditional textbook experience of: Read the chapter and answer the questions at the end. Our materials are MUCH more engaging than traditional text AND are aligned to CCSS, including the assessments. And you never have to worry about textbook degradation!
Q: What's new with the 2022-23 Version?
A: Besides reformatting all the pages and adding new photos to make the pages even more appealing, we've expanded the GEOGRAPHY section. Each article is now narrated if teachers/students want to have the articles read to them, and we retooled the overall interface with faster load times and added a new student challenge.
Q: What is the DLC-1 (Downloadable Content 1)?
A: As we add to the curriculum, we include what's called Downloadable Content. This content is on top of the existing curriculum and comes with new student articles that are tied to the highly anticipated sequel, Furtive II!
Q: When is the DLC-1 available to purchase?
A: Now. The cost is $24.99 (yearly fee). This will give you digital access to the six new student articles and the sequel, Furtive II. Physical copies of Furtive II are also available for $15.00.
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ORDERING WASHINGTON INTERACTIVE
Schools and individuals interested in purchasing through purchase orders and/or check/credit card can do so here.